BigPete

After seeing the success enjoyed by SlartiHotPlate and XeroxPete (so named for his copying of the J230c) PlainMcGuyver gets very excited. Inspired by the latest machine (the one that scares the crap out of any one stupid enough to fly it ) planedriver (oops sorrry) PlainMcGuyver decides to upstage the Martin Company and produces his own improved version of the Martin JetPack. :thumb_up: Utilizing 2 refurbished Godfrey vacuum cleaners gaffa taped together and running at 300,000 rpm (in reverse) to develop sufficient thrust, our intrepid inventor decided to use the latest in battery tech to power his creation. :thumb_up::thumb_up: By joining 12 LiFePO4 batteries together and running thru a cheap inverter (which he pinched from Slartibustit's caravan :ah_oh:) PlainMcGuyver found he had sufficient thrust for a 15 minute flight and enough power left over to toast 2 sandwiches and boil his kettle. All this for .39 cents a flight.(or is that fright?) :yuk::yuk: Deciding on a price of $100,000 per unit (with microwave oven option) he waited for the orders to roll in. (but like most inventors........ regards :big_grin::big_grin:

G'Day Brian - 42 inch prop and with just me and around 80 liters on board I easily get 1000 fpm at around 75 knots. regards :big_grin:

While the whole of Oztralia have been tied up watching the Lympics, :eek: FiddlerPete has been busy in the workshop. By machining 1.5mmm off the end of each barrel :thumb_up: and the fitting of twin webbers (knocked off from the next door neighbours Alfa Romero) and running a mixture of 40% hydrazine hydrate and 20% methyl alcohol and 40% Avgas :big_grin: (just for the color). C-StoffPete :devil::devil: was able to clock the Jabazoom at 175 knots thru the quarter mile. (This I might add was before the Jabavazoom had actually left the runway!! :thumb_up: Once in the air it was evident that parasitic drag was a real problem. Back on the ground HackerPete deftly trimmed 3 inches of both ends of the prop (which gave a climbout of 9800 rpm from the (Jababoom??) motor. :confused::confused: Inspired by his success ChopperPete then took 2 metres of the main wing. This increased the cruise speed to 369 knots but he now found the aircraft a tad hard to control. :yuk: "If I'm not careful I'll Slartibustit" said AccidentWaitingToHappenPete. (sorry Slarti, couldn't help myself) Maybe if I stretched the fusilarge it will give me the extra stability I need, and the ability to carry more than 8 minutes of fuel. i_dunnoi_dunno I might even have room to put in a bar and a bed just like my old Holden Sandman panelvan. ;);) And so our hero (PioneerPete) :big_grin: continues to push the envelope and reaches for new horizons in his quest for the ultimate OzStork experience. Meanwhile....... regards :big_grin::big_grin:

I Just love my J160c :heart::heart: so there! regards :big_grin::big_grin:

Its a bit like football and cricket. :big_grin: TV is great - you get to see all the shots close up, lots of replays from all angles and slow mo of the really good bits. :thumb_up: BUT there's nothing like being there live! The sound is fantastic. Practice days are longer as there is a larger gap between contestants while on race day things are a lot quicker. Good displays by the RAAF/ARMY on race day is also a plus. :thumb_up: If you get a chance jump on a CAT bus. These buses go around the city (three different routes if I remember right) and are FREE. :big_grin: Each bus is GPS equiped and each bus stop will tell you correctly when the next bus is due down to the minute. Brilliant! We toured around the whole city getting off when we saw something interesting and then jumping back on again. Plenty of places in the city centre for breakfast and lunch, but watch out they alll close at around 2.30 and you're on your own for dinner. :ah_oh: regards :big_grin::big_grin:

We went over to the other side (via the ferry) on the last practice day and on race day stayed close to the strip. :thumb_up: (Ya gotta see the crazy take offs) :confused::ah_oh::big_grin: Didn't have the hassle of trying to get back (over the water) with everyone else once the race was finished. :thumb_up: Take lots of bottled water (and lotsa photos) post here. :big_grin::big_grin: regards :big_grin:

It comes down to plain economics. If Jabiru, Rotax, Continental or Lycoming were turning out 500,000 engines each per year, things may be better. :thumb_up: And don't forget they are all air cooled (Rotax heads are water cooled) and have to run bigger tollerances. I don't care too much if my jetski, snowmobile or car suddenly quit - inconvienient, but hardly life threatening. I do however want my aircraft engine to keep running. :raise_eyebrow: One of the reasons we enjoy the sophistication and advancement of modern car engines is the R&D costs per unit are quite small. This is because they make so many of them. :thumb_up: regards :big_grin::big_grin:

Spot On - I recon. regards :big_grin::big_grin:

Had mine over two weeks now. regards

Rumour has it that a CASA spy was sent to the 1st sermon on the mount, and has not been seen since. i_dunnoi_dunno The Captain recalls somewhat vaugly that there were 20 ewes and one ram transported in the great Jabiroo uplift prior to the blessing of the flock. ;) BigPete however only remembers 20 ewes and 1 wether at the gathering. :big_grin: Casa is duly informed and manages to put 2 and 2 together when the director announces a name change (well after all it has become very fashionable) from Ivor FloppyProp to Iva NoProp.....:yuk::yuk::yuk: (this should serve as a warning to anyone that feels they can spy on this story and get away with it) "and the Riverbland girl :broken_heart: is welcome to leave and join the Murrum bitchy fellas", said SelfRighteousPete :big_grin: "she has after all spread many untruths (as well as other things) about me and the Kaptain/Captain/Kaptin/Captin/Kapten/capten." :heart: Regards :big_grin::big_grin:

As a matter of fact - we did discuss it briefly. I think this one (J120c) weighed in at 283kg. :yuk: regards

.......registered a new political party (Come Fly With Us) with the electrol office in Canberra. :thumb_up: CheapPete also ordered 500,000 party slogan bumper stickers from a Chinese company called "We Stickit Up You". :confused: Unfortunatley because of olympic overload the stickers arrived with a small typo and now read "Come Fry With Russ" So BigPete looked to change his name (by deedpoll) to BigRuss or RussPete and is also looking to publish a new cookbook (using political funds)..... Meanwhile, the Captain and Planedriver were hard at work raising money to pay for the next "Blessing on the Mount" gathering as the FriarPuk (now enjoying cult status :yuk: ) has upped the price of his communial wine and wafers soiree (sponsored by Plonkfolds and Are-notts) and his unique re-par-te sermons. :ah_oh: Suddenly, the Riverland girl........ regards :big_grin::big_grin:

Steve (Thrasher) dropped into Echuca this afternoon on his way home to Lethbridge. The new J120c is lookin' good - it's a little beauty. It's safely tucked up in my hanger next to my J160c. :heart::heart: Steve and his co-pilot (I'm so good with names :confused:) are safely tucked up in a local motel with a few cold ones. I'll pick them up tomorrow morning and drive them to the airport. Weather permitting they'll be home tomorrow (Saturday). regards :big_grin::big_grin:

Well, Berrie, you've come to the right place - plenty of info and help right here mate. :thumb_up::thumb_up: regards :big_grin::big_grin:

I hear they have plenty of nuts....... regards :big_grin::big_grin:

Rez-u-may 1. Name: BigPete. (Married with children) :confused: 2. Age: none of your business. 3. Sex: Not very often these days :yuk: (which will probably give you a clue for number 2. - although I will state that I am NOT gay. (Hello Captian) :heart::heart: (I just love anything and anyone that flys) 4. Special interests - Anything that flys. Music. Anything that flys. Music. :big_grin: 5. Hobbies - Music, anything that flys, Music, anything that flys. :big_grin: 6. Religion - see 4 and 5. :big_grin: 7. Responsibilities - Pop to 5 grandchildren - keeps me young (and poor, and tired, and sometimes grumpy) :yuk: 8. Strengths - able to talk for hours about anything aviation, without understanding any of it and with no formal qualifications or studies undertaken in this area. (I believe this makes me fully capable of the CASA job on offer.) :thumb_up::thumb_up: 9. Schools attended - yes, quite often (but perhaps not often enough). 10. My greatest achievement - learning to land an aeroplane well enough to use it again. ;) 11. My second greatest achievment - learning to take off well enough to do number 10. (without doing number 2's) :ah_oh: 12. Favourite aeroplane - mine. (Jabirue J160c) :heart::heart: 13. Qualfications - have done so much with so little for so long, I am now fully qualified to do anything in no time with %$#@ all. 14. My dream - to live long enough to own an electric aeroplane and fly for .33 cents an hour. (and to live with my kids when I'm old and give 'em hell) regards :big_grin::big_grin:

regards :big_grin::big_grin:

Check out this link! It's awesome. You won't believe it. I want one. YouTube - Lithium ion Polymer Batteries regards :big_grin::big_grin:

You may have saved two lives. - His and his passengers'. :thumb_up: regards

Had a great day at Hopetoun. :thumb_up: Light rain at Echuca as I checked the Jabby. Waited 10 minutes and departed around 9.00pm. Dodged rain and low cloud until past Boort. Weather improved and I flew via Wycheproof and Birchip. :) Listened out on 126.7 - boy - lots of calls - lots. Arrived and slotted in with all the other aircraft around 5 in the circuit, but no dramas. :thumb_up: Landed and parked. Haf the crowd were Jabirus and some very good ones at that. Caught up with Ian, Ben, Geoff, Decca and met a lot of great people. Barbeque was great and lots of free coffee. i_dunno Blue skys for around an hour and then the cloud came over again. It didn't seem long until aircraft started to leave and then it was just me and a few others - time to hit air. Good trip home - 13 knot tailwind and dodged a bit more rain. Put the Jabiru in the hanger and drove home. A great day - very well organized by Ben. Congratulations to everyone for another great fly in. Sorry to hear about those that couldn't make it especially Slarti :yuk: - hard luck mate, but well done on the outcome - aeroplanes, we can rebuild them. For those that haven't met him, below is a picture of Ben - Lets see who can come up with the best caption for the photo. :big_grin::big_grin::big_grin: regards

Hey Sean, that's great. How about a few words telling us how each one is to fly. Especially the Piper Cub. :thumb_up: regards :big_grin::big_grin:

Well, airsick - I shouldn't think it will stop him flying. Might stop him navigating for a while. :big_grin: Most of us learn more by doing or having things happen to us. His instructor must carry the blame for him getting lost. Duty of care and all that. This early fright will probably make him a far more cautious pilot than he may have been otherwise, and yes I agree with you. It was a dangerous thing to happen. :black_eye: regards :big_grin::big_grin:

Very Nice indeed! :thumb_up: regards

Yes Ian - I'd say his confidence would be shot. To his credit though, he did follow his bearings exactly, in hindsight you could even say this was a very good lesson. I bet he will never make the same mistake again. regards

Will somebody else contribute or does LonesomePete have to do it all himself? :big_grin::big_grin: regards